Asheville, North Carolina News

Posts Tagged ‘climate’

ASHEVILLE NC – A few positions remain open in the fall semester for UNC Asheville’s unique, graduate-level certificate program, Climate Change & Society. Tailored for working professionals and students interested in the fields of climate and sustainability, the two-year program consists of four courses, one each semester, with a convenient evening schedule.

The certificate program and course of study were developed to bridge the gap between climate scientists and the government agencies, business and community organizations whose decisions and work may be impacted by climate change.

Applications to enroll in the third cohort of the program are due August 1, 2014. Ten students have completed the coursework, which may be taken on its own through the certificate program, or within the Master of Liberal Arts and Sciences (MLAS) degree program at UNC Asheville.

“I chose classes and research topics that directly related to my work at ASAP,” said Katie Descieux, who began her studies while an intern at ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), and was able to advance to a staff position as research coordinator for ASAP’s Local Food Research Center while earning the certificate and MLAS degree. “The classes that I took that focused on issues of sustainability and community resiliency really resonated with me … and ignited my passion to positively contribute to my community.”

The certificate was affirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2011. The four course sequence includes:

ASHEVILLE NC – Just in time for the changing seasons, UNC Asheville offers the 2014 Western North Carolina Weather Calendar, complete with daily average high and low temperatures, phases of the moon and daily sunrise and sunset times.

Published by UNC Asheville’s Atmospheric Sciences Department, the unique 12-month calendar features Asheville climatological data including monthly temperature and precipitation normals, and monthly heating and cooling degree days, which have been completely updated based on the normals recently published by the NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center with data from 1981-2010.

The weather may change, but the cost of the calendar has held steady at $7, postage included. Please make checks payable to “Weather Calendar” and mail to: Dr. Alex Huang, ATMS UNC Asheville, CPO 2450, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804.

ASHEVILLE NC – Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy have been selected as the nation’s top winners in the 2013 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, an initiative sponsored by The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Walmart. The winners were announced today during the Mayors’ Climate Protections Awards luncheon, which was held in conjunction with USCM’s 81thAnnual Meeting.

The annual awards program, now in its seventh year, recognizes mayors for innovative practices in their cities that increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An independent panel of judges selected the winners from a pool of applicants.

“Mayor Becker and Mayor Bellamy are great examples of the strong leadership at the local level working on climate protection,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “As others debate these issues, mayors are acting on real climate solutions, showing how to curb both energy use and climate-harming emissions.”

“We are proud to honor these cities and their mayors, who remind all of us how their leadership is making a real difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of life in their communities,” said Greg Hall, Walmart’s Vice President of U.S. Sourcing and Manufacturing. “At the end of the day, these local efforts reduce our energy dependence and save money, results that help strengthen the U.S. economy.”

“In Salt Lake City, we are committed to doing what we can right now to address the climate change impacts that are already being felt at a local level, and will only become more challenging,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker. “Setting goals for ourselves like constructing net-zero public facilities is one of the many things we can do as a community to help address the mitigation and adaption necessities that will ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for our City.”

“The City of Asheville is honored to receive this award,” said Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy. “By reinvesting our energy savings through our Green Capital Improvement Program, we are reducing air pollution in our region, making neighborhoods safer by installing high quality LED lights, and demonstrating fiscal responsibility by recycling tax dollars.”

“Mayors are leading the way on climate protection just like so many other issues before the nation,” said Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “In their cities, we can see the innovation and imagination that leads to new strategies to combat the growing energy and climate challenges before us.”

First Place Winners

· Salt Lake City, UT Mayor Ralph Becker for the Net Zero Public Safety Building and Salt Lake Community Solar (Large City Category – population over 100,000)

The Salt Lake City Public Safety Building will be the first public safety building in the nation to achieve a Net Zero rating. To reach this lofty goal and ensure the building produces as much energy as it uses, the city employed a host of innovative technologies including rooftop solar and an off-site solar farm, planned LEED Platinum certification, locally-sourced and environmentally-sound materials and high efficiency mechanical systems. Its Salt Lake Community Solar (SLCS), a unique, market-driven approach to reducing the cost of solar energy using innovation and ingenuity to tackle the logistical and financial barriers of going solar, helps businesses and homeowners purchase and instal solar energy systems.

· Asheville, NC Mayor Terry Bellamy for the Green Capital Improvement Program (Small City Category – population under 100,000)

The City of Asheville established a goal to cut carbon emissions in its municipal activities by 80 percent by 2030. In the five years following the adoption of this target, the city has achieved a 17.67% reduction in emissions, and it has also established a self-sustaining funding source that recycles energy savings to invest in additional sustainability programs. More recently, these energy savings and dollars are directed into the Green Capital Improvement Program (Green CIP) which funds the city ongoing initiatives to make further progress on its 80 percent reduction goal. During the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Asheville creatively reinvested energy savings to invest in improved greener services for its citizens.

In addition to the first place winners, Honorable Mentions were awarded to mayors in four large cities and six small cities for their exceptional achievements in efforts to promote climate protection:

ASHEVILLE NC – Renowned climate scientist Michael E. Mann will discuss his new book, “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars,” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. His talk is free and open to the public.

Mann, a Penn State faculty member who holds joint positions in the departments of meteorology and geosciences, is director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. He was a lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with other IPCC authors in 2007. He is also co-founder and contributor to the award-winning science website RealClimate.org.

Mann is best known for his work reconstructing climate fluctuations over the past one thousand years. Dubbed the hockey stick graph, the chart was prominently featured in the IPCC 2001 report on global climate and became a central icon in the controversy that followed the report’s publication, known to many as the “climate wars.” In his talk, Mann will share the story of the science and politics behind the controversy surrounding climate change.

Mann has received a number of honors and awards, including NOAA’s outstanding publication award in 2002 and selection by Scientific American as one of the 50 leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002.

Mann’s visit is being hosted by UNC Asheville’s Climate Change and Society certificate program, which is part of UNC Asheville’s Masters of Liberal Arts program, and the departments of Psychology and Atmospheric Science.

ASHEVILLE NC – The Institute for Climate Education at A-B Tech will present a free seminar on tropical cyclones and the possible threat they pose to North Carolina at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in Ferguson Auditorium on the College’s Asheville campus.

“Climate Change and Tropical Cyclones: An Increasing Threat to North Carolina?” will be presented by Dr. Chris Hennon, Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at UNC Asheville.

“North Carolina is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of tropical cyclones. The response of tropical cyclones to climate change is more complicated than many other variables. It is not simply a matter of ‘it’s getting warmer so hurricanes are going to be more frequent and stronger’. It is in our state’s and region’s best interest to understand the response so that we can engage in long-term planning to mitigate any additional consequences from these storms,” said Hennon.

ASHEVILLE, NC – The Institute for Climate Education at A-B Tech will hold its first free public seminar at 7 p.m. July 20 in Ferguson Auditorium on the College’s Asheville campus for community members to learn about climate-related issues.

“An Insider’s Look: What YOU need to know about climate” will be presented by Mark Brooks, Climate Services Coordinator/Environmental Meteorologist, of the State Climate Office of North Carolina in Raleigh. “Climate has a significant impact on every sector of our economy,” said Brooks. “However, it is possible to mitigate the negative impacts of climate related risk and capitalize on the favorable impacts.” There will be a question and answer session following Brooks’ presentation.

“This is an excellent opportunity to be able to hear the latest about what is going on in the ever-changing world of climate science,” said Pamela McCown, Coordinator for the Institute for Climate Education. “We are all impacted daily by weather and climate, and this is a great chance to be able to hear about the climate services that are available to us through the state. Anyone who has to make decisions related to weather and climate should plan on attending. ”